How food shapes our health more than medicine. Doctors share healthy eating tips

Our health is shaped by far more than what happens in a doctor’s office. Research estimates that as much as 80 to 90 per cent of health outcomes are influenced by factors outside medical care, including diet, physical activity and other everyday habits. Yet food, one of the most powerful drivers of health, is rarely treated as medicine. The concept of food as medicine is not new, says Dr Jaclyn Albin, an internist and director of the culinary medicine programme at UT Southwestern Medical Centre in the US state of Texas. The movement gained traction in the 1980s, when medically tailored meals were provided to patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, during the Aids epidemic. “They found that people who were delivered healthy meals … stayed out of the hospital,” Albin says. “They lived longer. They felt better. Imagine that: a healthy meal helps you heal. It brings longevity and comfort in a sickness.” Studies have found that improving access to nutritious food – whether through medically tailored meals or programmes that provide fresh produce – can help manage diet-related conditions such as heart disease. While eating healthier might sound simple, it can feel daunting – or even unappealing – for those who have not had positive experiences with foods often labelled as “healthy”. Milette Siler, a culinary dietitian nutritionist and co-founder of the culinary medicine programme, says it is important to consider people’s financial access to food as well as their emotional and cultural connections to it, focusing not on taking foods away, but on adding nutritious ingredients and enhancing flavour. “Is there a way to take maybe an ultra-processed food that is what you can afford right now,” Siler asks, “and add some value to it with some foods that, while they might also be processed, are convenient and inexpensive to add nutrition?” Part of that strategy involves scrutinising nutrition labels not so much for additives, although these chemicals added to preserve food can affect health and are important to keep in mind, Siler says. recommends focusing on a few key markers of nutrient density, such as protein, dietary fibre, sugar and sodium. “Every food is going to have drawbacks because it’s grown in a world that is not perfect,” Siler says. Dr Stormee Williams, a paediatrician and chief health equity officer at Children’s Health in Texas, says it is important for parents and carers of young children to help them build healthy eating habits early to support better health later in life. At the same time, she says parents should introduce children to healthier versions of foods they already enjoy, such as a baked apple topped with cinnamon instead of apple pie. “Don’t restrict the children in your life to [eating] what you like and don’t like,” Williams adds. “Even if it’s something that you don’t readily eat, but you have it available, go ahead and serve it to them, because they might like it.” Dr Dora Johnson is a family medicine doctor with the Methodist Health System in Texas. She recommends people on GLP-1 drugs – whether for managing diabetes or weight loss – focus on eating enough protein and multiple small meals a day. “As you lose weight rapidly, you lose muscle mass,” Johnson says. “That’s why we spoke about protein being very important to incorporate in all your meals, but you also want to preserve muscle mass through weight-bearing and strength training.” Health experts say financial barriers and food insecurity remain major obstacles to ensuring people have access to the nutrition they need. The Community Health Needs Assessment report – a data-driven evaluation of the health status, needs and challenges facing communities in Texas – is used to help guide local health programmes. The 2025 report identified food insecurity and nutrition among the top three health-related problems. “Some of the statistics were astounding,” says Jessica Hernandez, vice-president of community integrated health at Parkland Health. “You can imagine that food is a part of that, but it is one part.” Siler highlights a partnership at RedBird shopping centre in Dallas with Crossroads Community Services – an organisation dedicated to making nutritious food more accessible to all – which opened a nutrition pharmacy on-site. Patients from nearby clinics – including UT Southwestern and Parkland – who are screened and identified as food insecure can easily access the pantry and select food for themselves. The screening process takes less than 30 seconds and is done for all patients to reduce stigma. Siler says the programme’s goal is not just to address food insecurity but also nutrition insecurity, ensuring people have access to the nutrients they need to support their health. Overall, treating food as medicine must be a priority for health providers hoping to make changes in medical care and prevention of preventable diseases, Albin says. That means having thoughtful, sensitive conversations with patients and communities about their relationship with food, particularly for those who have experienced food-related trauma. “We’ve created a void in medicine,” Albin says. “I think we need to own that we haven’t been a voice for this … I blame us, which is part of why training the next generation to do better and to not do harm in their language around food is a huge priority.”

How food shapes our health more than medicine. Doctors share healthy eating tips

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}What we eat has a significant impact on our health, but is rarely treated like medicine. Nutrition experts explain why it should be

What we eat has a significant impact on our health, but is rarely treated like medicine. Nutrition experts explain why it should be